Combined case and table



J. SMITH COMBINED CASE AND TABLE Filed Jan. 50 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet: l

1927. Jan 11 J. SMITH 001131111211 CASE AND TABLE Filed J 50. 925 4 Shee t s-Sheet 2 20 5; I5 /3 gwwmtoc 1927. Jan J. I. SMITH COMBINED CASE AND TABLE Filed Jan. 30 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet f5 '1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII .IIIJJIIIIIIII;

I 57 54 gwuentoz JOSEPH 1'. SMITH w WW" J. I. SMITH COMBINED CASE AND TABLE Jan. 11 1927.

Filed Jan. :50. 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 6.

JOSEPH 1. SMITH,

Jan. 11, 1927.

JOSEPH I. SMITH, OF OGDEN, UTAH.

COMBINED CASE AND TABLE.

Application filed January 30, 1925. Serial No. 5,810.

My invention relates to a combined case and table, 'adapted to be carried upon a vehicle, such as an automobile, while not necessarily restricted to this use.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character which is neat and attractive in appearance.

A. further, object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character which will effectively exclude rain, and dust.

Gther objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the followingdescription.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bottom side of the table top element, showing the legs collapsed,

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4; is a longitudinal vertical section taken on line H of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the case, showing the table top element removed, and the folding bed partly open,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the table top element with the legs in the open position, and,

Figure 8 is a detailed transverse section taken on line 88 of Figure 7.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention the case embodies a rigid rectangular frame 10, preferably formed of metal. This frame embodiesvertical members of posts 11 and 11, connected at their upper ends by horizontal transverse members or strips 12, rigidly attached thereto. The vertical posts 11 and 11 and transverse members or strips 12 are connected at their upper ends by longitudinal members or strips 13, rigidly secured thereto. The frame may have its parts formed integral, if desired or the parts may be suitably connected. The vertical posts 11 and 11 are in the form of channels and are substantially f-shaped in cross section, with flattened bottoms, 14. The transverse strips 12 and the'longitudinal strips 13, are preferably of the same shape in cross section.

At their lower ends the front and rear posts 11 and 11 are suitably rigidly mounted upon a base 15, preferably formed of wood.

The nun'ieral 16 designates a top panel, which. may be formed of any suitable rigid material, such as wood, fiber, or cardboard, and this top panel may be covered with a section of oilcloth or any other waterproof material. This top panel is arranged within the top of the frame within the transverse strips 12 and the longitudinal strips 13, and is clamped thereto, by means of longitudinal and transverse rails 17 and 18, which are preferably V-shape'd in cross section. The rails 17 are rigidly secured to the front and rear longitudinal strips 13 by means of bolts 19 or the like, while the transverse rails 18 are secured to the transverse frame strips 12 by means of bolts 20 or the like. The back of the case is closed by a panel 21, formed of any suitably rigid material such as wood, fiber, cardboard or the like. This panel is preferably provided with a covering 22, or waterproof material, such as oilcloth, as shown. The panel 21 at its ends projects into the rear vertical posts 11 and the upper ends of the same projects into the rear horizontal frame strip 13. The top of the panel 21 is clamped to the adjacent framestrips 13 by means of the rail 17 while rear vertical rails 23, V-shaped in cross section, serve to clamp the rear panel to the rear vertical post 11, and i are connected with these rear vertical posts by bolts 24 or the like. The rear panel projects downwardly over the base 15, and is adapted to be secured to the rear edge thereof by screw 24' 'or the like. The covering 22 of the oilcloth extends downwardly beyond the panel 21 and is folded over the base, as indicated at 25, and may be secured to the bottom face of the base 15, by any suitable means. This provides a water tight joint.

The ends of the frame are covered by end panels 26, formed of any suitable rigid material such as wood, fiber, cardboard or the like. These end panels are held within the fianges of the front and rear posts 11 and 11 and are clamped thereto by vertical rails 23 and 27. These rails 23 and 27 are V-shaped in cross section, as shown. The rails 27 are secured to the front posts 11' by means of bolts 28 or the like. The end panels 26 are preferably provided with a 'metal'binding frames 43 and 4-4.

waterproof covering 29, formed of oilclolh or the like. The end panels extend downwardly over the base 15 and may be rigidly secured thereto by any suitable means, such as nails. The waterproof covering 29 preferably projects downwardly beyond the end panels and its lower end is folded under the same, as shown at 30, and is attached to the lower surface of the base by any suitable means. This provides a waterproof joint. The lower ends of the front and rear vertical posts 11 and 11 of the frame also extend downwardly to the lower face of the base, and these posts may be rigidly secured to the base, if desired, but this is not essential, as the posts are cl amped to the panels, and the panels are rigidly attached to the base. as described.

Arranged beneath the base and suitably rigidly secured thereto, are transverse strap irons 31,-. provided at their forward ends with U-shaped sockets 32, adapted to fit ove the outer edge of the running board 33 of the automobile.

These sockets carry clamping screws 34, to engage beneath the running, board, as shown. The inner ends of the strap irons 31 are adapted for insertion within U-shaped brackets 34, mounted upon the upper surface of the running board, near its inner edge, and rigidly secured thereto by any suitable means.

To prevent undue vibration of the case upon the running board 1 preferably provide the same, upon its inner side, and near its top, with attaching brackets 35, secured to the rear posts 11., and these attaching" brackets engage over the upper edge of the body of the automobile and are secured to the frame of the body by means of screws or the like.

The 'front or outer side of the case is left open and is adapted. to be covered by a table top element. designated as a whole by the nun'ieral 36. This table top element einbodies a center leaf 3?, which may be fori'ned of wood or other suitable ina erial and preferably having its outer surface covered by a section of oilcloth or the like, as indicated at 38. This center leaf is equipped with a binding frame 39, preferably fornrcd of metal. The sides and ends of this binding frame are U-shaped in cross section. as shown. The b'iniiline frame, at its bottom side, is provided with a downwardly projecting overlap iiingextension or flange 40, for a purpose to'be explained. The numerals 41 and 42 designate outer leaves, formed of wood or the like and preferably having an outer covering 42 of oilcloth, leather, or like material. These outer leaves have The hori- Zontal and transverse portions of these binding frames are U-shaped in cross sec-- tion, as shown. The upper binding frame 43 is provided at its lower end with an overlapping extension or flange 45 as shown. The outer leaves 41; and 42 are connected upon their inner sides with the center leaf 37 by means of hinges 46. This provides a knee joint which will permit the outer leaves dropping to vertical position. when the center leaf 37 is used as a table top. As clearly shown in Figure 3, the extension or flange 45 overlaps the top of the center leaf 37, while the extension or'fiange 40 overlaps the top of the lower outer leaf 42, thus forming water tight joints, preventing the rain from beating into the case.

The center of the leaf 37 carries folding legs 4?, arranged in pairs, one pair folding I within the other, and adapted to lie flat upon the lower face of the leaf 3?. The pairs of legs 47, are carried by transverse bars 43, to which they are rigidly attached,

and these transverse bars are connected with the inner leaf 3?, upon their inner edges, by means of hinges 49, as shown. hen the legs "are shifted to the outer position, the transverse bars 48 engage transverse stop bars 51, rigidly secured to the lower sur face of the center leaf 37, as shown. Any suitable means, such as a hook and eye 52, may be employed to lock the transverse bar 48 in the open position.

Attention being called more particularly to Figures 1, 3, and 5, it will be seen that the forward sides 53 of the posts 11 are bent into vertical L-shaped sockets 54, the outer side of which is open and the inner side of which is closed by the bottom or flange These sockets extend from the base 15 to the upper front strip 13. As clearly shown in Figure 3, the flange 55 is in alineinent with the outer surface of the rail 17, while this flange 55, at its lower end, extends over the forward edge of the base 15. The table top element, may be inserted within the sockets and the upper edge of the upper leaf will slide into the space 56, formed between the strip 13 and the rail 17, whil the lower edge of the lower leaf, is adapted to be held within l -shaped brackets 5'7, which are secured to the lower surface of the base 15. it is obvious that the entire table top element may slide upwardly sutliciently so that the lower leaf will clear the upstanding; portions of the brackets 57, subsequently to which the table top elementmay again be lowered, into these brackets. If desired, the table top elementmay be slightly folded or bowed so that its opposite ends will enter the space and brackets 57, subsequ .itly to which the same is again straightened. The center leaf'37 is held in place by swinging latches or keepers 58, which are suitably pivotally mounted upon the forward post-s 11. In view of the foregoing description it is obvious that the several joints effected between the table top element and the front side of the case, are

tight and are adapted to exclude the water or rain from the interior of the casing. Further, the overlapping extensions or flanges carried by the sections of the table top element, face downwardly an d the upper front frame section also faces downwardly over the top of the table top element, thereby rendering it impossible for rain or water to enter the case. It is obvious that the table top element, with its parts properly arranged, will function as a door or closure for the case and when this table top element is withdrawn from the open side of the case, and its legs opened, the same will function as a table.

I provide a shelf 59, within the upper portion of the case, and this shelf is preferably formed of fabric such as canvas. The shelf may be permanently attached to the back of the case, as shown at 60, while its front edge, at the end thereof, may be detachably connected with the front rails 27, by means of a snap button 61 or the like. This will permit of the releasing of the forward end of the flexible fabric shelf whereby it may drop to a vertical position when not in use. 7

The present case is designed particularly for receiving and holding a foldable or c'ollapsible bed, designated as a whole by the numeral 62. The side rail sections 63 of this folding bed are hinged to transverse rails 64, mounted within the case at its bottom corners, and rigidly anchored to the base 15. The folding bed, when collapsed, is held within the case, as is obvious,

In view of the foregoing description it is thought that the construction and use or op- .eration of the apparatus should be clear, and that no further description need be made.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same. and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the su joined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A case having an opening, a cover for said opening and adapted to serve as a table top, said cover embodying an inner leaf and outer leaves, means for hinging the outer leaves to the inner leaf in such a manner that the outer leaves can not swing outwardly with relation to the inner leaf when the cover is in position uponthe case, latch means carried by the case and engaging the inner leaf, and collapsible legs carried by the inner leaf.

2. A case having a side opening and a depending flange at the top of the side opening, said case also having flanges extending longitudinally of the sides of the opening and forming sockets having their outer sides open, supporting means at the bottom of said opening, a cover for the opening embodying a plurality of hinged substantiallyhorizontal leaves, the uppermost leaf being adapted to engage behind the overlapping flange and the lowermost leaf being adapted to engage upon the supporting means, and means for retaining the leaves in a substantially vertical position.

3. A case having a substantially vertical side opening and a stationary depending overlapping flange at the top of the side opening, supporting means arranged at the bottom of the side opening, a cover for the side opening embodying an intermediate leaf and upperand lower leaves, a hinged kneejoint connecting the upper leaf and intermediate leaf, a hinged knee-joint connecting the lower leaf and intermediate leaf, a flange carried by the upper leaf and extending over the top of the intermediate leaf, a flange carried by the intermediate leaf and extending over the top of the lower leaf, and means for retaining the cover in place with its leaves in the open position.

4. A case having a substantially vertical opening at one side thereof, a table top element to cover said opening and embodying a plurality of leaves having hinged connections affording knee-joints, said leaves extending longitudinally of the case, collapsible legs carried by one leaf and extending longitudinally of the same when folded, and latch means connected with the case engaging the table top element to retain the same in place.

5. A case having a substantially vertical side opening and provided near its top with a downwardly projecting overlapping flange.

a table top element embodying a plurality of hinged leaves, said leaves being disposed in superposed relation when serving to cover said opening, the uppermost leaf having its upper edge engaging behind the said overlapping flange, the uppermost leaf being provided at its lower edge with a downwardly projecting overlapping flange extending across the top of the adjacent leaf, means for retaining said leaves in place upon the case, and collapsible legs carried by one leaf.

6. A case having a substantially vertical side opening and provided at the top of the opening with a downwardly projecting overlapping flange, said case being provided at the sides of said opening with upstanding sockets having inner stop flanges, a table top element adapted for insertion within the sockets to cover said opening, said table top element embodying a plurality of hinged leaves which are arranged in superposed relation when the element is within said sockets the uppermost leaf having its top engaging behind the overlapping flange of said case, each leaf except the lowermost leaf having at its bottom a downwardly projecting overlapping flange extending across the top of the adjacent leaf, means retaining the leaves in place within said sockets, and collapsible legs carriediby the table element.

7. A case having an opening and provided at the top of the opening with a downwardly projecting overlapping flange, said case being provided at the sides of said opening with upstandingsockets having inner stop flanges, a table top element adapted for insertion within the sockets to cover said opening, said element embodying a center leaf and outer leaves hinged to the center leaf at the inner surfaces of the leaves for affording knee-joints, the leaves being disposed in superposed relation when within the sockets with the uppermost leaf having its top arranged behind the overlapping flange of the case, each leaf except the low ermost leaf being provided at its bottom with a downwardly projecting overlapping flange extending across the top of the adjacent leaf, a bracket secured to the bottom portion of the case and adapted to engage with the lowermost leaf, latch means connected with the case and engaging theintermediate leaf, and legs carried by the intermediate leaf.

8. A case to be mounted upon a part of an automobile and having a side opening and a depending overlapping flange atthe top of the side opening, supporting means at the bottom of the side opening, a table top ele ment adapted for insertion within the side opening with its upper end extending within the overlapping flange and its lower end within the supporting means, said table top element embodying hinged substantially horizontal leaves which are adapted to break outwardly, means for retaining the leaves in a substantially vertical position, and foldable legs carried by the table top element.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH 1. SMITH. 

